1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to foster care and child protective services monitoring and verification methods, systems, and apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Although procedures for child welfare systems vary from state to state, every department of Child Protective Services (CPS) relies upon caseworkers. After an initial report of abuse or neglect is made to CPS and an investigation determines that the report is substantiated, a child may be left in the care of his or her family, moved to a shelter or group home, or placed in the care of a relative or foster family. CPS's designation of a care provider is, in part, based on likelihood of future abuse or neglect. Therefore the safety of the child, not to mention potential liabilities for any harm to the child, can depend on how the placement or designation proceeds and the monitoring thereof afterwards.
To verify the presence of both the child and the designated care provider, and to monitor a placement or the progress of a care provider designation, caseworkers are normally required to perform regular visits that can sometimes be unannounced. This can be an effective tactic in objective monitoring and gathering of desired information, and furthermore, a care provider's or caseworker's awareness of this tactic can help deter wrongdoing. While recognizing the thousands of highly competent and caring caseworkers and providers, it is nonetheless unfortunate that some individuals are known to have manipulated or forged information or visitation records, resulting in tragic consequences or reducing the integrity of the system in general. There is also a danger that inexperienced or overworked caseworkers may misidentify children or designated care providers. Whether intentional or not, failure to accurately verify a child's placement and monitor it according to applicable policies or law, can undermine a child welfare system's primary goal—the safety and well being of its clients.
The US DHHS estimates that in the year 2002 alone, over a quarter of a million children were removed from their homes as a result of an abuse or neglect investigation. Furthermore, in the United States, it is estimated that about 542,000 children are in foster care on any given day, and more than 700,000 children live in government-run foster care each year. Nearly half of all children in foster care are over the age of 10 and about 32 percent remain in the system for more than three years. It is also notable that about 903,000 children and youth were confirmed victims of abuse and neglect in the United States in 2001. Clearly, it is desirable that an invention be disclosed that would increase the ability of child welfare systems to gather, evaluate and verify information reliably and accurately for the benefit of the public and its clients.